"…then there was the year we homeschooled the kids!"

Sewing, Disney, A Hiatus, and A Happy Thanksgiving!

Please excuse the sudden hiatus from my blog. See, last week we took a long overdue – by about 3 years – vacation to Disney World and this week, well, I have decided to learn how to sew so that I can make cool Christmas presents for my girls. I am proud to announce the successful completion of an awesome stuffed rag doll bunny I made for Molly. Here is a photo of said rabbit. I named her Lulu, which I also embroidered on her bottom, after Molly’s nickname, Lulu Molly or Molly Lu.

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Lulu Bunny

I am also making rag dollies for Jane and Annie. I have to admit that I didn’t make the bodies, but purchased them at Hobby Lobby. I have to add the faces, yarn hair, and bought material to make little dresses for them. Here is Annie’s doll so far. Her name is pending and depends on what she comes up with Christmas morning, but knowing Annie it will be something like Lisa, TC, or Arubacalasmafunda. You never know with Annie. This doll is lacking clothing and I need to add a little more hair to make it fuller.

Annie's Doll

Not too shabby, and I’m rather proud of myself considering that I have very little sewing experience. I like to think of it as the magic of the machine, which was handed down to me by my grandmother – now in her 90’s – who spent many years running a small business where she made doll clothes and stuffed animals for a living.

So, where do I hope this sewing practice takes me? I’m not sure, but believe me, it’s a fun new adventure to embark on. See, for ever and ever and ever it seems, I have imagined things I wanted to have like really cool curtains, throw pillows, and being skilled enough to cover our couches. These are all ideas you just can’t find at the local Target or Bed Bath and Beyond. If I can just master the machine I can bring these ideas out of my head and make them myself. For example, the simple fat tabbed curtains I imagine with neat buttons sewn at the base of each tab, or that really neat throw pillow I keep imagining with embroidered whimsical stick figures of the characters in our little family.

So, I suppose now I should get around to the Disney experience. I’m still detoxing a bit, haven’t uploaded the pictures from the camera, and, well, am pretty unprepared for a write up on that event of a lifetime – not to mention the 11 hour car trip from TN to FL which ended up taking about 15 hours. Yes, such a blog NEEDS photos to reference. All I can say is, “WHAT A BLAST THAT TRIP WAS!” Where else can you walk from China to Germany in under 5 minutes (15 minutes with bathroom breaks for three kids and two adults)? Plus, in November Florida resembles a place I would love to live some day. Between Jackson and I you could count on one hand the number of rollercoaster rides we went on. Other than that there are the numerous 3D films complete with spraying water and/or the sense of smell to enhance the experience. There are also the animatronics that are like a supped-up robotic and life-sized wax figures. Oh, and how about rides like It’s a Small World? It’s the world of singing and dancing baby dolls that represent various countries. This was also Molly’s favorite ride. She pointed and said, “See…dis…baba!”

So, yes, there the Disney bit must end, and perhaps a blog will come soon. Oh, what the hell? Let me also say that Jackson and I found plenty of time for sarcasm. When visiting Disney it’s like you enter a totally different universe. You’re stuck in a theme park for days that seems to be filled with the glory of Mickey Mouse, princesses, and other cartoons. In this place the attire in which cartoons are wearable is totally acceptable and in-fashion no matter what your age. So, people start phasing into this idea that they MUST HAVE EVERYTHING!!! People walk around with bags and bags of goodies purchased at various gift shops. You have to wonder, “When they get home and re-enter reality will they pull all of this stuff out and wonder why they bought all of this crap?” Seriously, a 40 year-old woman DOES NOT need a Figment hoodie! Nevertheless, I saw a woman wearing one. Here is Figment because unless you have visited Disney lately you might say, “Who is Figment?” Exactly!

Out of all of the various ridiculous Disney clothing (not including, of course, the classic Minnie or Mickey shirts) the worst article of clothing saw at Disney had to be this crazy push-up bra vest I saw someone wearing. If I only had a photo of this; however, I do not. Although, it was tempting to say, “Excuse me ma’am, but can I take a photo of your breast-vest thingy because I really need to mention this on my blog?” I am smart enough to know that a woman wearing a breast-vest is probably a badass. That may have ended in a fight, and, you know, I’m a lover not a fighter, and would certainly have ended up crying and running away. No photo, sorry.

My favorite shirt was worn by an old man that said, “I’m retired, but I work part-time as a pain in the ass.” He really did look grumpy, even at Disney, and thank God it was that shirt he was wearing and not a shirt he bought at the gift shop he would only wear once that had a picture of the dwarf, Grumpy, from Snow White.

Finally, the Osborne Christmas display. It was in Hollywood Studios and was several blocks of lights which totalled somewhere in the 5 million bulb range. There was Christmas music and fake show falling from the sky. It was pretty neato. There were photographers offering to take pictures in the most scenic area which you could later purchase for an unspeakable amount of cash so you could remember forever the lights at Disney. We didn’t do that, but did dance in the streets with our kids instead of using our time to wait in line for the photo-op of a lifetime.

And, yes, the PHOTO-OPs!!!! Holy cow! People say, “Did you get a photo with Mickey, or Donald, or Snow White, or Cinderella?” Yes, we did wait in one line which got us in to see the main characters, and we also attended the princess breakfast, but we didn’t wait in long lines to take photos with characters. Seriously, Disney is one week every few years. Why not walk around enjoying yourself while taking photos with your camera here and there as you go along? Why spend all week waiting in lines for EVERYTHING?!? The best, most favorite moment of mine – which pretty muchs sums this up – would have to be the shy and very tired little girl whose angry parents forced her to take a “happy picture” with Woody and Buzz. They gave Woody the autograph book and both parents smiled at the camera while the little girl hid her face, but then briefly turned around to show the camera a happy grin. Years later they can look back and say, “See, this here’s when we took you to see Woody baby, and you was so happy!” Maybe they can put it in an album to show friends and family. An entire photo book full of photos from Disney and perhaps not very many memories of impromptu dancing in the street with your kids when a parade suddenly turns the corner. It’s freakin’ Disney people!!! And it’s a freakin’ expensive vacation!!!! Save the professional photo-ops for Christmas and Easter at Olan Mills!

Okay, so that’s it. Yes, I did complain about Disney, but we did have so much fun. I absolutely love being with my family. Jane, Annie, and Molly are the coolest kids ever to travel. Jackson, in all of his Daddy-taking-the-fam-on-vaca glory is just, well, HOT. He’s my Steve Martin daddy. No, not the real Steve Martin, but the one he plays in various family films where he’s slightly grumpy and complaining 90% of the time; he also works hard, looks really fine in his button up oxfords, and has his moments where he looks at us with a look on his face that says everything he is thinking at the moment and that is, “Wow, I really love the hell out of these girls of mine.” It comes complete with the adorable, dimpled grin and eyes that sort of glass over in a moment of bliss.

In the event that my hiatus shall continue through the week:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

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4 Responses

Last year at Disney we waited FOREVER to see Tinkerbell. Thank goodness she was wonderful and made the wait worth it. However, there was a couple in front of us from the UK, and I admit to wondering why the heck they thought this was a worth-while endeavor.